Staying the course: BREC awards life membership to Garth Cahill for seeing centre through the pandemic

An arts and culture mainstay of Bunbury has honoured a man they credit with helping keep them afloat during the turbulent COVID lockdowns and restrictions, which largely devastated the arts sector across the country. Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre chair Simon Jacob awarded board member and Bunbury accountant Garth Cahill with life membership for his “pretty boring” and incredibly valuable contributions the centre’s pandemic management. At a gala event last month Mr Jacob gave his heartfelt yet tongue-in-cheek thanks to Mr Cahill for his work to help in any area he could over the past four years he served on the BREC board. “The number of hours Garth spent creating — it’s pretty boring — cashflow models, budget scenarios, and working with the finance manager or the executive director to assure accurate numbers which the board could rely upon,” Mr Jacob said to the appreciative crowd. With sincerity, Mr Jacob credited Mr Cahill for his ongoing and generous “advice-bank approach” to any problem the board was having, in using his skills to help in any way he could. “And in some large part, I think BREC’s negotiation and management of the COVID pandemic was because of the efforts Garth took,” he said. “His exceptional hands-on assistance and overall guidance of the organisation at both board and staff levels in 2020 when COVID first hit Australia and business was interrupted at BREC.” Mr Jacob said it was great to see Mr Cahill’s love for the arts flourish through his involvement with BREC over the past four years. “It’s been absolutely fantastic to have you on the board, it’s been wonderful to have you involved in BREC,” he said. “And I thank you most sincerely on behalf of BREC and everyone here.” Mr Cahill thanked Mr Jacobs and BREC executive director Fiona de Garis for the life membership, paying tribute to the people who made the centre such a vibrant place. “Thank you very much, I appreciate everyone. And I’m always willing to come down and help, as everyone knows,” he said.